InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Truth About Cats and Dogs ❯ Inuyasha's Battle ( Chapter 27 )

Recap: Naraku took Kirara prisoner and tried to blackmail her into killing Inuyasha. She refused, but found herself fighting to save Kohaku. Sesshomaru arrived at Naraku's castle to retrieve Kagura's heart and Inuyasha and the others arrived to fight Naraku, but not long after breaking the barrier, the sun set and Inuyasha transformed into his human form, rendering the Tetsusaiga useless.

 

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Chapter 27 - Inuyasha's Battle

 

“Inuyasha, you fool,” Naraku laughed. “You think you can take me on in that pathetic mortal body of yours?”

 

“Try me!” Inuyasha yelled.

 

“Gladly,” Naraku replied, whipping out a tendril towards Inuyasha.

 

“Inuyasha!” Miroku yelled.

 

Kagome quickly shot an arrow through the tendril, which burst open at the contact; but another swiftly followed it. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu, chopping off several tendrils in her wake. Miroku began hitting back any tendrils he could with his staff, and for a brief moment, it seemed as though they would manage to fend off Naraku's attacks.

 

But, from a darkened corner of the courtyard, Kagura opened out her fan, swinging her arm down and creating a powerful gust of wind that swept around the entire castle. Kirara clung onto the balcony of a nearby building, watching on as the wind blasted Koga, Ayame, Ginta, Hakkaku and the wolves over one wall of the castle and Sango, Miroku and Kagome over the other. The only ones spared were Kirara and Kohaku, who were sheltered from the worst of the blast by their close proximity to the buildings that framed the courtyard, Sesshomaru, who Kagura appeared to have intentionally missed, and Inuyasha, who Naraku had managed to grab up in one of his tendrils.

 

As the winds died down again, Kirara stood, finding that, in the prolonged absence of Naraku's barrier, and with the gust of wind Kagura had just created having circulated fresh air into the castle grounds, the miasma seemed to have dissipated enough to allow her to regain some of her strength. She looked out in the direction Sango, Miroku and Kagome had been thrown, starting to walk towards them. However, Kirara had only taken a few steps when a sudden purple glow arced over the courtyard.

 

`Naraku put his barrier back up!' Kirara thought, gasping in alarm.

 

“Now Inuyasha, where were we?” Naraku said, turning back to Inuyasha, who was struggling desperately against the grip of Naraku's tendril.

 

“Enough,” Sesshomaru growled, leaping forwards and slashing the Tokijin through the tendril that held Inuyasha.

 

Inuyasha grunted as he fell to the ground, hurriedly kicking the still writhing appendage from his body and scrambling to his feet.

 

“Lord Sesshomaru,” Naraku said, smiling down at him. “You amaze me. I never knew that you cared for your younger brother.”

 

“I don't,” Sesshomaru darkly replied. “But I will not allow you to be the one who takes his life. That privilege has been reserved for me alone.”

 

“Stay out of this, jackass!” Inuyasha snapped, moving to stand alongside Sesshomaru.

 

Sesshomaru eyed Inuyasha over from the corner of his eye, before making a small grunting noise of disgust.

 

“And what do you propose to do in that body, little brother?” he asked.

 

“Kill Naraku, and then kill you!” Inuyasha stubbornly replied.

 

“You are not fit to kill anything,” Sesshomaru shot back. “Without the Tetsusaiga and without what little demon powers you do possess, you are nothing.”

 

“Keep talking like that, and I'll cut your arm off again, you stupid jackass!” Inuyasha growled.

 

“Have you no dignity? Know your place, half-breed!”

 

“I've got more dignity than you! What were you thinking coming here anyway?”

 

“I came here for the same reason as you did. To kill Naraku.”

 

“Not true, you liar! I know all about your little agreement with Naraku.”

 

“My agreement with Naraku? You are the one who made an agreement with him, using the fire-cat as a decoy.”

 

“What are you talking about now?”

 

“I was warned that the fire-cat had a jewel shard and was coming to take the Tenseiga and the Tokijin from me. A foolish manoeuvre that could only have been planned by an idiot like you. Even with the additional power afforded to her by a jewel shard, the fire-cat would still not have been able to handle the Tokijin.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about? Kirara was kidnapped by Kagura! And you came here to save Kagura, you've got her heart in your hand, you lousy bastard!”

 

“Don't call me that. Show some respect, you filthy, half-blooded simpleton!”

 

“At least I'm not a jackass like you!”

 

“Enough!” Naraku yelled, shooting out two tendrils towards the two bickering brothers.

 

Sesshomaru calmly turned the Tokijin towards the tendril heading his way, obliterating it before it came anywhere near him. Inuyasha however was hit by the other tendril and thrown across the courtyard, landing near Kirara.

 

“Damn,” he groaned, starting to get up again.

 

“Inuyasha, wait!” Kirara stopped him.

 

“Damn it, what are you doing here Kirara?” Inuyasha snapped at her.

 

“It's nice to see you too, Inuyasha,” Kirara dryly replied.

 

“I can't even get close to Naraku, I need the Tetsusaiga, but I can't use it until after sunrise! There's no way I can delay him for that length of time, either!”

 

“Inuyasha, didn't you once say that Lord Sesshomaru was able to use the Tetsusaiga with the help of a jewel shard?”

 

“He needed the jewel shard to attach a human arm to his body. He needed to human arm to be able to touch the Tetsusaiga… Wait a minute, you're not about to tell me I should give the Tetsusaiga to that jackass, are you?”

 

“No. I was going to suggest that you use a jewel shard in your arm to make the Tetsusaiga transform again.”

 

“Great idea, Kirara.”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, groaning in despair.

 

“Just two small problems,” he continued, his tone even more sarcastic than ever. “First of all, the power of the jewel alone won't make the Tetsusaiga transform, only my demon spirit can do that. Second of all, I don't exactly have any jewel shards. Koga's got two, Kagome's got three, Kohaku's got one and Naraku has the rest. Koga and Kagome are on the other side of the barrier, Kohaku needs his shard to stay alive, and somehow, I don't think Naraku wants to lend me one of his.”

 

Kirara watched Inuyasha for a moment, her expression thinned in her despair at his excessive cynicism. When Inuyasha failed to respond to her exasperated look, Kirara slid her fingers down the front of her armour, causing Inuyasha's face to twist then turn red.

 

“Here,” she said, pulling out the shard Naraku had given her. “You can use this.”

 

“Where the hell did you get that from?” Inuyasha asked.

 

He paused as he thought about what he had just said, and then he turned redder still.

 

“Um…” he began nervously.

 

“But you say this shard won't be any help to you?” Kirara asked, in an attempt to ease Inuyasha's awkwardness.

 

“No,” he said, his face slowly paling over. “Not unless I used it to return my demon powers.”

 

“But…” Kirara began, frowning down at the shard between her fingers. “If you become a full demon, you won't be able to use the Tetsusaiga, will you?”

 

“I-I don't know,” Inuyasha replied thoughtfully. “Other full demons can't even touch my sword, but the Tetsusaiga was made for me, so maybe I would.”

 

“It's probably too dangerous,” Kirara said slowly, lowering her hand. “After all, if you use the jewel shard to become a demon, you will taint it with the darkness of evil.”

 

“Doesn't the jewel only become tainted if it's used for selfish gain?”

 

“I don't know.”

 

“Damn it Kirara, I thought the woman who trained you was the same woman who created the damn jewel!”

 

“The jewel was created when Priestess Midoriko died! It's not like she told me it would happen! She didn't exactly say to me “hey Kirara, I'm nurturing a jewel inside my chest, one that will have the power to make the good purer and the bad more powerful. Gee, I hope I don't die before it's done!” I don't know how it works, do I?”

 

“What the hell is your problem?”

 

“Inuyasha, we don't have time to stand here and argue like this! Do you want this jewel shard or not?”

 

Kirara held her hand up between them again and Inuyasha plucked the jewel fragment from between her fingers. He slowly turned it over, frowning down at it, deep in thought.

 

“It's funny, I always wanted the jewel to become a full-blooded demon,” Inuyasha mused as he eyed the gem over. “But that all changed after I met Kikyo. I wanted the jewel to become human, to be with her. And then she pinned me to the tree. When the spell was broken, I wanted to be a demon again, but now I don't know what I want to do. If we defeat Naraku today and complete the jewel, what will I do? What will Kagome do? What will become of us? All of us?”

 

Inuyasha lifted his deep brown eyes to Kirara, who merely shook her head.

 

“I don't know, Inuyasha,” she said honestly. “But the most important thing right now is that we do defeat Naraku and we do complete the Shikon Jewel.”

 

Inuyasha slowly nodded.

 

“I'm not gonna do it,” he said, closing his fist around the jewel shard. “I'll fight Naraku as I am. This is as good a chance as any for me to test my strength as a mortal.”

 

Kirara began to smile at Inuyasha, feeling proud of his mature and strong decision; but her smile quickly vanished as one of Naraku's tendrils shot forwards, whipping Inuyasha's legs out from under him. Kirara staggered back out of harm's way, turning to Naraku. She expected to find him in a heated confrontation with Sesshomaru, but the dog demon had disappeared.

 

“What?” she muttered, looking desperately around the courtyard for any signs of Sesshomaru.

 

Just as Kirara began to fear the worst, that Naraku had somehow managed to absorb Sesshomaru, she finally felt a slight twinge in the air. Naraku's demonic aura was so strong and multi-layered, it was difficult to locate any other demon spirits present, but Kirara felt the distinct aura of Sesshomaru in the corner opposite Naraku. Turning to look, Kirara gasped at what she saw, so overcome with shock, she failed to notice two more of Naraku's tendrils slithering towards her and Inuyasha.

 

In the back corner of the courtyard, under the shade of a veranda, Sesshomaru was standing with Kagura, holding onto her heart.

 

`What are they doing?' Kirara wondered.

 

“Kirara, look out!” Inuyasha yelled, leaping out of harm's way as a tendril slid at his feet.

 

Kirara mewed in alarm, barely managing to stumble out of harm's way. Inuyasha frowned at her in question as he saw her distracted expression, eventually turning his head to look over his shoulder in the direction she appeared to be staring, his curiosity having won over his common sense.

 

“What the hell is Naraku doing?” he muttered.

 

“Naraku?” Kirara echoed, moving her eyes from Sesshomaru at last.

 

“He's opened a part of his barrier and let Koga and his wolves back in!” Inuyasha pointed out. “What the hell is he thinking?”

 

Kirara tilted her head in confusion as she watched a hole in the barrier close over, sealing Koga, Ayame, Ginta, Hakkaku and the wolves inside. Koga instantly turned on Kagura, and, to Kirara's dismay, Sesshomaru instantly leapt to her defence. Kirara felt that odd sinking feeling in her stomach again, and even though she was vaguely aware of something approaching her, she did nothing to evade it.

 

“Kirara!” Inuyasha yelled, reaching out a hand as she was whipped into the air by one of Naraku's tendrils.

 

Kirara groaned as the thick, slimy appendage tightened around her, fresh blood pumping out of the wound in her shoulder. Kirara quickly found she could no longer keep her eyes open, and what followed seemed illogical, as though she was drifting in and out of consciousness, and only witnessing snippets of the events unfolding.

 

Kirara saw Sesshomaru suddenly ensnared in a series of Naraku's tendrils, most of his body covered. She saw Koga holding up Kagura's heart as though it were a trophy of his victory. She saw Inuyasha on his knees, his hands grasping onto his hair as though he was in immense pain; but his hair was silver once more. Kirara toyed with the idea that the night had ended already, but then, even in her weakened state, she felt the chilling demonic aura of Inuyasha in his pure demon form.

 

In his rage, Inuyasha tore through Naraku's tendrils with his elongated claws, freeing both Kirara and Sesshomaru. As Kirara fell hard to the ground, she wondered if Inuyasha had intended to free the brother he hated so much; but then as she caught the wild, rabid look in Inuyasha's scarlet eyes she realised that Inuyasha had probably not even intended to save her.

 

“You think you're strong enough to fight me now, Inuyasha?” Naraku asked, letting out a hollow, condescending laugh.

 

Kirara turned to look up at Naraku's face far above her, feeling a little more optimistic as Koga leapt up to kick at Naraku. As the rest of the wolf demons and their wolves surrounded Naraku, Kirara again wondered where Sesshomaru was. Turning back to the point where she had found him last, her eyes doubled in size as she saw him swipe the Tenseiga over Kagura, reviving her from death.

 

`It's true!' she thought to herself in alarm. `Sesshomaru really has joined forces with Naraku! He only came here to save Kagura! The only reason he attacked Naraku earlier was to stop him from killing Inuyasha, because Sesshomaru wants to be the one to take Inuyasha's life himself!'

 

“Hiraikotsu!”

 

Kirara turned sharply around, shocked to find Sango, Miroku and Kagome once more inside the barrier. Naraku deflected Sango's weapon, but the distraction it had caused him meant that he failed to see Koga leaping from the roof, aiming a kick at his head. Inuyasha leapt up directly in front of Naraku, and Naraku finally seemed to notice that the two were heading straight for him. But, much to Kirara's amazement, Naraku grinned at what he saw.

 

An instant later, Kirara saw exactly why Naraku looked so happy.

 

Inuyasha swiped his claws at Koga's legs, tearing the jewel shards from him.

 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome yelled.

 

“Inuyasha's changed, how can that be?” Miroku said.

 

“Shouldn't he be in his mortal form right now?” Sango asked. “How can he possibly be a full demon?”

 

“He must have…” Kagome began.

 

“Used a shard of the sacred jewel,” Miroku finished for her.

 

“Inuyasha, no!” Kagome wailed.

 

Inuyasha ignored her, swallowing down the two jewel fragments he had just recovered from Koga's body.

 

“You're still not strong enough to defeat me, Inuyasha!” Naraku laughed.

 

Inuyasha turned towards Kagome, his face looking even wilder than ever. Kagome yelped in fear, clutching her hand around the small jar that held the three jewel shards she still had.

 

“Get out of here Kagome!” Sango warned her. “Inuyasha might come for those too!”

 

“No!” Kagome argued defiantly. “I won't leave Inuyasha!”

 

Kagome began to run towards Inuyasha, causing Sango and Miroku to leap into action, fighting off Naraku's tendrils as he reached for Kagome.

 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome cried, tears blurring her vision as she ran towards him.

 

Kirara pushed herself to her feet, deciding that she should transform and attack Naraku's head to distract him. She knew that she was still weak from her injury and the earlier exposure to Naraku's miasma, but if she could stop Naraku from attacking her friends for long enough to allow them to recover and fight back, then her efforts would not be wasted.

 

“Stay away from me!” Inuyasha snarled, leaping back as Kagome reached her arms out towards his shoulders.

 

Kagome stumbled as she closed her arms around the space where Inuyasha had been standing only moments ago. Before she could even fully realise what had happened, Naraku wound a tendril around her. Sango and Miroku hastened their efforts in an attempt to reach her and set her free. Deciding that between them, Sango and Miroku would manage to rescue Kagome, Kirara turned her attention back to Inuyasha.

 

Her heart stopped as she saw him stalking towards Kohaku.

 

“No!” she cried, running across the courtyard after him.

 

As she ran, Kirara saw Kohaku back through a door, disappearing into the castle and out of her sight. Inuyasha followed without hesitation, punching a hole in the wall by the door in his haste to follow Kohaku and his jewel shard. Kirara began to run harder, leaping through the door and staggering in front of Kohaku, spreading her arms out at her sides to stop Inuyasha from attacking her human friend.

 

“No, Inuyasha!” she said firmly. “I can't let you harm Kohaku!”

 

“Gimme the jewel shard,” Inuyasha snarled, cracking his knuckles threateningly.

 

“I can't do that,” Kirara desperately replied. “Kohaku will die if I remove the shard from his body. And besides, you already have three shards inside your body. You don't need any more to defeat Naraku. And once the sun comes up, you can remove the shards and use the Tetsusaiga to defeat Naraku.”

 

Inuyasha looked down at his hand for a moment, apparently thinking this through. Kirara sighed in relief, a small smile appearing on her face as she dropped her arms to her sides once more.

 

“Oh Inuyasha!” she sighed. “Your soul is so strong, you overcame your own demon blood and the power of three jewel shards.”

 

Inuyasha lifted his eyes to Kirara, staring blankly at her for a moment before roaring a feral snarl and swinging one hand around, his claws tearing into her mid-section. Kirara began to fall back from the blow, choking out a strained breath that forced blood from her throat. She landed on her back the room spinning around her as she felt the warmth of her own blood seeping down her sides. She could hear her heartbeat thumping inside her ears, almost as though its only purpose was as a pump to force blood from her wound.

 

Watching weakly on, Kirara saw Inuyasha shove Kohaku to the ground and rip open a gash in his back, pulling out the jewel shard that sustained his life. Tears of despair pooled in her eyes as she saw the life drain from Kohaku, and Inuyasha grin at the bloodied shard he had just acquired.

 

`How can this be happening?' she thought helplessly.

 

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Next Chapter: The fight against Naraku continues, and Inuyasha's fight against himself intensifies. Just when Kirara begins to give up hope for herself and Kohaku, something very unexpected happens to change the course of events. Chapter 28 - Kohaku's Fate.